A soldier makes a salad at a dining facility at Fort Knox, Ky, on April 12, 2023. (U.S. Army)

AUSTIN, Texas – The Army has delayed a program to solicit restaurant partners to help run base dining facilities and instead plans to get soldiers greater access to food already available on posts, service officials said.

The new plan will include allowing soldiers to spend money in commissaries that was earmarked for dining facilities, according to leaders with Army Materiel Command.

“We took a step back,” said Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, deputy commander of the command, which oversees resources and facilities on bases.

Earlier this year, the Army attempted to find restaurant partners to contract with the service in a similar way that some do with large college campuses.

But service leaders later realized their plan would require Congress to change some laws.

“When we started peeling this one back, I was shocked at the amount of regulatory and congressional oversight that we get that impacts the way that we do operations,” Mohan said.

Despite stalling the program for now, the Army still wants to pursue it, he said.

Restaurant partnerships have the support of top Army leaders, including Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, who said the move would make dining facilities more attractive and accessible to soldiers.

Mohan, who has joined forces with two other generals at the Army headquarters and the Combat Arms Support Command, said they are now working with the Defense Department to make legislative proposals to change laws and give the Army more flexibility in feeding soldiers.

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